How a Bad Idea Turned Into the Greatest Tradition in Hockey

[@HecticHockey]

Left out the fact that the NHL had the Heritage Classic a few years before!

[@Dr_Do-Little]

You didn't left it out. You "canceled" it. Presenting the Buffalo game as if it was a novel concept that had never been done before.

[@eastsidetactown]

I think a lot of people forget the city of Seattle itself has quite a bit of hockey history, on top of the Metropolitans being the first American team to hoist the Stanley Cup! It actually makes a TON of sense to bring it to Seattle given them finally having another pro hockey team(that plays for the cup), its kind of a welcome home moment for them in that sense

[@thegreatattila]

And why they didn’t go with the Metropolitans nickname I’ll have no idea. I mean, Ottawa brought back the Senators.

[@ColrathD]

@@thegreatattilacopyright owner wanted more money

[@Naturalist1990]

Lol the kraken “playing for the cup” is a bit of a stretch. Every team plays for it but losing in the second round one year doesn’t mean much

[@eastsidetactown]

@jamesguinnip6601 they literally play for the cup though. Meaning Seattle has had multiple other professional hockey teams such as the Ironmen but they didnt play for the Stanley cup. Also, any team that makes the playoffs let alone takes the 2nd round to 7 games is definitely also "playing for the cup" lol you may not like them but they had a pretty damn good run last year

[@Naturalist1990]

⁠”playing for the cup” is a weird phrase to refer to an NHL team. Especially because almost every hockey league has some sort of cup for the championship trophy. FWIW, I like the kraken but given their performance this season and their inaugural season, it seems like last season was a bit of a fluke

[@classic.cameras]

In 2003 Edmonton had the first "Winter Classic" which was called the Heritage Classic. Why would the NHL not find it possible in 2004?

[@Cambergain]

Because it wasn’t a winter classic 🤡like u said it’s called the heritage classic for Canadian teams 😂

[@classic.cameras]

Yes, it was on November 23rd so I guess that technically wasn't winter, but in Edmonton, Winter starts a week before Halloween 🤣@@Cambergain

[@bobsmith2637]

@@classic.cameras game day in 2003 was -18C, -30 with windchill. Definitely in the grip of winter. It was a massive success and Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium was sold out

[@darkstratus]

@UsedNapkin1bro felt the need to call him names 😭😭😭

[@classic.cameras]

I know. I photographed the Canadiens practice the day before. @@bobsmith2637

[@bryancayouette1618]

2003 - Heritage Classic - Montreal Canadians vs Edmonton Oilers @ Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

[@redfive5856]

In 1991 The LA Kings played a pre-season game against the NY Rangers outside at Caesar’s Palace in their parking lot.

[@MaxwellWarawa]

No mention of the Heritage Classic? I would imagine that would have an influence.

[@slasher1087]

Fenway Park definitely has the best looking outdoor games so far. Lake Tahoe looked amazing. Too bad people worry about the delay more.

[@krakhead22]

Don't forget the Big Chill (Michigan vs MSU at Spartan Stadium in 2001), the idea of special outdoor games had been bouncing around well before 2004

[@PDXKing99]

I’d be very interested in seeing a Arizona vs Vegas winter classic or an all Florida winter classic just because I think it’d be funny to see 😂

[@troybaxter]

That will definitely piss off the hockey traditionalists.

[@ThatSB]

I mean they had a southern california game

[@99dndd]

The Blues, Bluejackets or maybe Blackhawks could host a game at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. You could build a platform over the pitwall and put the rink between the front straight grandstands. The yard of bricks and pagoda would be a stunning backdrop

[@TheGundameister]

And the sight lines won’t be interrupted by pillars, foul posts or being too far from the action.

[@sethmizrachi8337]

Not a bad idea, which makes me think Panthers and Lightning at Daytona would also be good.

[@christopherharte4741]

I can see an argument against Vegas, but Seattle used to be in the PCHA as the Seattle Metropolitans, so they have history going way back to the 1920's

[@rileykazama3145]

Also Vegas had minor league teams before the golden knights

[@pauljmorton]

Wasn't it so that in the Minnesota-St. Louis game, they actually had to warm up the ice? To my knowledge, there's an ideal temperature for the ice, and the really cold weather made the ice significantly colder than that, causing it to be sticky and difficult to skate on, so they hade to warm up the ice to get it back to the ideal temperature.

[@gavinfrost1254]

While I do agree with some people that it’s strange to not bring up the Heritage Classic in 2003 as the first NHL regular season outdoor game it doesn’t change that some of those people are being delusional in calling it erasure of history (and erasure of Canadians as a whole) when they themselves are ignoring the first NHL team to play outdoors was the Red Wings in 1954 at Marquette Branch Prison and that the heritage classic itself was inspired by the success of the Cold War game between MSU and UofM at spartan stadium in 2001

[@dominiccsogi9037]

Low key wish they did more around new years like first one kicks off on new years but a couple of teams play after next couple days etc

[@adiuntesserande6893]

Anyone upset at the lack of tradition involved in the Kraken and Golden Knights being involved don't know their hockey history. The first American city to win the Stanley Cup and their revived team facing off against the current holders of same? That's absolutely perfect!

[@MrConverse]

IMHO, the handshake following a hockey playoff series is the best tradition is all of sports. They should do the same in the other sports. Outdoor hockey is a good tradition too. :-)

[@Butters3000]

How Did This Video Leave Out The 2003 Oiler vs Habs Game? It's Like Implying That US History Starts After The Civil War.

[@brentmac6342]

Typical dumb americans, glad to see their empire falling. EDM had the first game.....

[@kj6446]

I'm glad the Kraken and Knights are playing...If there's one thing you notice over the years of the winter classic it's that you tend to get the same teams over and over... of the 14 previous games, the Hawks have been in 4, Bruins 4, Penguins 3, Rangers 2, Flyers 2, Caps 2, Wings 2, Blues 2

[@gordieparenteau6555]

The Winter Classic needs to be on major network television, not on cable. I wish NBC was still involved.

[@chadmartin6866]

This video needed better research for sure - the first outdoor game was in Edmonton, Alberta Canada.

[@HecticHockey]

Heritage Classic yes

[@McToads]

@@HecticHockey it’s still the first out door game …..

[@ericguerbilsky2579]

Actually it was Michigan State. But agrees this guy doesn’t know anything about hockey or it’s history

[@McToads]

@@ericguerbilsky2579 the kings played rangers in a pre season outdoor game in vegas in 1991 if we want to nit pick

[@MrRedfoxx1989]

0:05 nope. I’m going with the Prisoner swap in the Army Navy game. Awesome moment everytime. Super serious cadets/midshipmen absolutely losing it, trolling the other team, and running to their side of the stadium.

[@TheFlamingPike]

Don't let the comments on the inaccuracies get the best out of you. We all gotta start somewhere. It's not easy being young and trying to talk about things of the past, back when we weren't aware or even alive. I prefer this over not talking about it at all. IMO what made the first Heritage Classic game memorable was seeing Jose Theodore wearing a tuque over his helmet. I thought it was funny and kinda poetic because it was all about these world class athletes playing the game just like we did when we were kids at our local exterior ice rink. There was something more magical with the first few games. Now it's still fun, but IMO the NHL made it a bit too commercial for my taste and forgot that this was about celebrating the sport.

[@HecticHockey]

Thanks!

[@patton303]

How about the pandemic game between the Avalanche and Golden Knights? No crowd. Just two teams battling outside on the shore of Lake Tahoe like it was a pond game. Amazing.

[@danielkurlan182]

I was at the 2012 Winter Classic I. Philadelphia and the 2018 Winter Classic in New York LETS GO RANGERS

[@dombrown34]

Me and my buddies tailgated like it was a Bills game when the Penguin’s came to town and we were denied entry. I still have the game magazine.

[@razorsharp8549]

Winter Classic twice in Chicago. First 1 in Wrigley, second Soldier Field

[@ben39g]

Wasn’t the first one a college game in Michigan?

[@charlesbriggs8219]

Yes… Michigan State hosted Michigan at Spartan Stadium in 2001. I think that is what started the idea of hosting outdoor hockey games.

[@jasonjtd79dunne88]

I worked at the 2018 game at Citi Field walking around selling hot dogs on the field level on like 2 hours sleep after working the Phish New Years eve concert at MSG. Was a fun 2 days though colder than hell doing the game

[@HecticHockey]

I was at that game! Sold out of hot chocolate before the first intermission.

[@Sleeper_productions]

A lot of people hate on the outdoor games. While I agree the stadium series stretches these games a bit too thin, nobody can argue that is has had a significant impact on the growth of hockey. And now with Vegas playing Seattle, the numbers will surely skyrocket again this year

[@dawgbone98]

Yeah the stadium series got a bit old. These games are fun because of the spectacle, because often times the actual on-ice game can be kind of bad because of the conditions. I'm good with a winter classic on new years once a year and a heritage classic in canada every 2nd year or so.

[@Lukemaster130]

I'd have to argue as a Carolina Hurricanes fans, it would never make sense to have a winter classic game in North Carolina. The stadium series really opens the outdoor games to the more Southern teams

[@husq48]

How anyone thought that this would not work is beyond me! 😳

[@philhugill8458]

Hey...... Great Idea ....Let's build an arena with a 'Secret portion' of the ice which will open up into a big G F I bin in the basement at the push of a button. John (Dirty Fergie) Ferguson of the Montreal Canadians would have been my first 'customer' !!!!!

[@TheSWED420420]

They dont have much team history but that wont stop the NHL they just overlook that part and hope you do the same

[@Solaris501]

It looks so much better in a rectangular football setup than in a baseball diamond configuration.

[@CoyoteIslander]

Would love to see a video on unique arenas the NHL has played on, i was at the pre season game in Milwaukee last season between the Wild-Blackhawks, that took place in a basketball arena

[@TrentKS]

The Bucks Arena?

[@nevarmaor]

The argument could be made that the Toronto Maple Leafs play all their home games in a basketball arena. That was the original planned purpose for ACC (now Scotiabank).

[@99dndd]

I know the AHL has played in the dome in Syracuse with the rink set up in the same location that they have the basketball court.

[@ginoschlegel6370]

in Switzerland the mational federation tried to block the zsc club from moving into a enclossed stadium... that wass in 1950

[@bl00df4rt]

Tomorrow is the first day the pond is going to be ready for a real skate. I wasn’t going to wake up to meet everyone. Now I feel like I have to.

[@S0NOFLIBERTY]

I have 2 flyers winter classic jerseys and I'll never forgive them for not keeping them as a permanent jersey.

[@fredbergeron2193]

Dude hockey is wayyyyyyysssss older then that 🤣🤟

[@Dr._J]

Could you do a video about the ´94-´95 lockout and its´ impact?

[@HearMeOutGuy]

winter classic is best event in all of sports

[@BearBreath70]

I’m betting that very few of today’s NHL players ever played on an outdoor rink, a frozen pond, river, a lake in their lives.

[@Bulldog_golf]

It was Edmonton in 2003

[@evelynroseblue]

wouldnt it be funny if Tampa or miami hosted a winter classic XD

[@ch44227]

Didn't they test it out on a preseason game the year before?

[@moodshelby]

I get why the game works on TV. Watching people play in the snow is cool. But who are the absolute lunatics watching these games outside?!

[@mrpb6399]

I went to the 2019 classic at Notre Dame. Pretty epic.

[@PandaFan2443]

Why is that crazy? I'm just wondering, do you live somewhere where it does not snow?

[@moodshelby]

@@PandaFan2443 lol. Not much.

[@jermf35]

I wonder if the 2 teams get to keep the revenue from the ticket sales and beer sales. If so that would be great and give those 2 teams a huge boost in revenue. Since there using football stadiums.. IMO they should get the revenue from those games. Help out hockey and those 2 teams that play in that game

[@drofpaos]

Weird to just not say anything about Canada and how our Heritage Classic is what inspired the Winter Classic. Not a great video when you leave out basically all of the history of the events origin.

[@Constitutionalist76]

boohoo nobody cares about a bunch alumni playing on an outdoor rink at half the speed of the game. This is about elite level hockey making it outdoors.

[@billkammermeier]

And then as quickly as they made it a success they ruined it by making a "stadium series"

[@ibraheemrao8434]

Even as a non hockey fan I love the winter classic but why is in the 12/31 even though New year's is on a Wednesday plus I read simmering in Google that they're hosting it on 12/31 going forward, help me out hockey fans.

[@imulippo5245]

I don't mind the outdoor setting because i always watch NHL from TV, but i don't see the appeal for an average fan. Sitting in cold without seeing the puck from so far away, mehhh...

[@thelaymaneveryman]

I have watched these outdoor game videos from hockey guys on youtube and how the actual first outdoor NHL game in Edmonton is just glossed over or barely mentioned. Make me wonder if these guys are American and anything above the 49th just does not exist.

[@fish3rvr]

Where’s 2023 pens v bruins

[@ittirutak1058]

Ahaha imagine if they did a street hockey match. After every period they show a video of a player saying car! And moving the net as multiple cars drive through. I know if this ever happened the NHL would be showing a sponsored car maybe even showing the tkachuks driving ahaha

[@colinrankin1659]

Go Buffalo!

[@garryleonhardt4925]

Don't hnderstand why anyone would want to go to these outdoor games ......

[@jamesbarrick3403]

I have watched my share of the outdoor classics. I think it is awful. I do not think it brings new eyeballs to the sport either. Conditions are always better in the controlled arena, quality of play is better, and the vibe is much better inside.

[@louisdemarco7417]

I would never go to one. A waste of

[@cornykorn1284]

Pens fan, those blue jerseys are now considered cursed after Crosby took a hit to the head that led to a concussion in the 2011 winter clasic, sparking even more of a rivalry with the caps than we had before

[@adjepson]

100% disagree

[@mtsixspeed]

Are you paying attention, MLB? ... 🦗🦗

[@Constitutionalist76]

lol one sport is non-stop action, the other is comparable to watching paint dry. Not the same.

[@jonathanward1585]

This season winter classic was not interested in it

[@stell776]

W sabres

[@Amm17ar]

Pretty sad and shocking how much Canada is disrespected by the Winter Classic. Weve never gotten a single Winter Classic in Canada......Which sounds wrong till you check and no Canadian team has ever gotten to play at home outside. I remember there were talks of doing in Ottawa outside Parliament hill, which would be insane but security reasons ruled it out. There are plent of sites to do it at, its just the NHL doesnt really care or ever prioritize its Canadian fans and teams.

[@nevarmaor]

Canadian teams are 2-0 though.

[@Amm17ar]

@@nevarmaor My point is theyve never played in Canada.

[@WantonBaby]

I bet man

[@99dndd]

I’ve always got the feeling that the Winter Classic is for American TV. There have been other outdoor games in Canada.

[@Amm17ar]

@@99dndd Hockey fans are hockey fans lol? What would the difference be exactly? Id bet quite a bit of money BMO field in Toronto would sell out if they held a Classic there, or BC place in Vancouver. They just dont care about Canadian audiences.

[@efrap4447]

BC it’s Edmonton, Alberta , CANADA, not USA. I honestly feel that Canadian teams need to leave the NHL & start their own league for JUST CANADIAN TEAMS !! Who’s with me ????

[@mrpb6399]

Good luck...

[@kalkella8822]

It wouldn't work as Canadians hate playing in Canada. This is coming from a Canadian. If I was in the NHL, I wouldn't touch any of those Canadian teams or their mentally ill fanbases with a 10 -foot pole.

[@McToads]

Retard

[@HeWhoRoamsAimlessly]

😂 horrible idea

[@razorsharp8549]

My thought exactly ​@@mrpb6399

[@SCUMCHRIST888]

Theyre doing the stadium series games for the Rangers/islanders/Flyers/devils. Fun idea but who is paying these absurd ticket prices to watch the game with binoculars? I thought regular game prices were crazy but these...holy shit

[@ithinkmycatsdead]

Talking about two youngins in the 1800's: they fell through the ice and didn't survive... anyways, hockey!